GENE MARKX CPA CODE

The researchers at Proofpoint also found many targets are being sent to fake Microsoft Office 365 login pages in order to capture login information for future data access.Īccording to Degrippo, attackers are “adept” at using LinkedIn and Google to conduct reconnaissance on potential individuals that have access to the information they want and are “laser-focused on targeting them directly through email”. Some emails try to fool users into sending their tax forms – like a W2 – and when this happens, the hackers can alter these documents to request a refund from the IRS that’s sent directly to their accounts.

Once malware is set loose, it’s programmed to look for personal information about the user or launch a ransomware attack. “We saw financial firms and construction industries targeted disproportionately,” she says. According to Degrippo, tax-themed email attacks are also hitting businesses in all sectors. But it’s not just small accounting firms that are exposed. “If you have the word ‘tax’ in your domain name, you’re a target this year,” said Sherrod Degrippo, senior director of threat research and detection at Proofpoint.

These sites are targeted by hackers because they have tax-related keywords, and they’re usually sites of smaller accounting firms who probably haven’t updated their security. The second type of attack occurs when malware (including ransomware) is downloaded on the devices of unwitting individuals that visit a compromised website.

GENE MARKX CPA CODE

These emails include legitimate-looking logos and letterheads from familiar brands or tax authorities and include warnings such as “important tax information attached” or “tax changes that affect your filings” and when the recipient clicks on the attachment, malicious code is then released on their device. The first is through emails sent to individuals and employees that request tax information. That gold is data, and according to research conducted by the security consulting firm Proofpoint, employees and website visitors at small companies and small accounting firms – that have fewer resources for security – are being targeted this tax season and the scams usually come in two forms.

Gene markx cpa